More than mortality data: a news media analysis of COVID-19 deaths in Aotearoa, New Zealand
Article
Article Title | More than mortality data: a news media analysis of COVID-19 deaths in Aotearoa, New Zealand |
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ERA Journal ID | 124350 |
Article Category | Article |
Authors | Morgan, Tessa (Author), Carey, Melissa (Author), Gott, Merryn (Author), Williams, Lisa (Author), Egli, Victoria (Author) and Anderson, Natalie (Author) |
Journal Title | Kotuitui: New Zealand Journal Of Social Sciences Online |
Journal Citation | 16 (2), pp. 419-43 |
Number of Pages | 13 |
Year | 2021 |
Place of Publication | New Zealand |
ISSN | 1177-083X |
Digital Object Identifier (DOI) | https://doi.org/10.1080/1177083X.2021.1905006 |
Web Address (URL) | https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/1177083X.2021.1905006 |
Abstract | News media have an important social role during times of disruption including national emergencies. This paper bears witness to the 21 New Zealanders who died during the first lockdown due to COVID-19 by critically examining the nature of their portrayal in mainstream newspapers. We searched Knowledgebasket for newspapers published between 28 February 2020 and 13 May 2020 relating to COVID-19 deaths. Of the 147 included articles, 50 were selected for in-depth thematic analysis. Our key finding is that COVID-19 made the death of ordinary older New Zealanders newsworthy, albeit in a way that distinguished individuals by residential status. This is reflected in the themes identified: (1) Unexpected community deaths; (2) Inevitable aged residential care deaths; (3) Justification for lockdown measures. We conclude that New Zealand journalists played an important advocacy role in justifying New Zealand’s ‘go hard go early’ approach through the largely compassionate coverage of older people’s deaths. |
Keywords | COVID-19; death; media analysis; newspapers; aged residential care |
ANZSRC Field of Research 2020 | 441007. Sociology and social studies of science and technology |
420503. Community and primary care | |
Byline Affiliations | University of Auckland, New Zealand |
Institution of Origin | University of Southern Queensland |
https://research.usq.edu.au/item/q64qq/more-than-mortality-data-a-news-media-analysis-of-covid-19-deaths-in-aotearoa-new-zealand
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